Soil Laboratory is a concept and practice that brings together artists, designers, craftspeople, researchers, and local human and nonhuman actors to explore the relationship between humans and soil.

From May 23 to 29, Helsinki, Espoo and Björkboda served as the backdrop for the MakerStudioPeda Summer School 2023, a week full of productive activities. The event saw the long-awaited opportunity for the whole research team to have their first in-person, completely offline group meeting.

The Alusta pavilion, located in the courtyard of Helsinki’s Designmuseum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture, offers a space for multispecies encounters from June of 2022 to October of 2023.

EMMA (Espoo Museum of Modern Art ) showcases evolving processes and artistic research in a ceramic art exhibition. “Ceramics Facing the New” in EMMA highlights the significance of clay for humanity while exploring contemporary environmental concerns and the disintegration of social structures.

Soil Matters exhibition at the Design Museum Helsinki’s Gallery presents nine craft and design projects which explore the relationship between humans and soil. A multidisciplinary group of professionals from ceramic artists working with scientists to artist-activists present nine experimental design projects. 

The Soil Laboratory is a collaborative space situated in the Soil Matters exhibition form September 4, 2020 to January 10, 2021 at the Design Museum in Helsinki.

Traces of Care is a virtual exhibition of 15 Master’s students of the Aalto ARTS Contemporary Design program under the course Personal Exploration. The presented works were made using different techniques from various viewpoints under the subject of care.

Nature of Process is a multi-material exhibition of 14 Master´s students of Aalto ARTS. Presented works are made using different techniques from various viewpoints under the subject of nature. The works present the ways in which we understand and interact with nature. Our interpretations are affected by our own experiences and cultural backgrounds.

The number of reindeers in northern Finland reaches over 200,000 each year, which is even greater than the population of people in the region. While the meat, leather, fur and antlers of these animals are consumed, most of the reindeer bone remain as waste material and a by-product of the industry. Taking the concerns about sustainability into account, recycling of such waste material can create new possibilities and collaborations in the Lapland region.

The seventh and last venue of the Ceramics and its Dimensions: Shaping the Future exhibition is at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze / UPM).
 The exhibition is open in Prague between September 4th and November 11th 2018.

On Tuesday February 13th 2018 the interactive Clay Pit workshop was organised for the first time at Aalto University. Empirica member Priska Falin has been developing the workshop together with community and engagement programme manager Dena Bagi from British Ceramics Biennial (BCB).